Pull Us Apart, Push Us Together
by A True Dreamer
Summary: Katara had tried again and again to explain that she and Zuko were just friends, but he just woudn't drop it. Two-Part Story/Zutara


Pull Us Apart, Push Us Together

AN: YAY! My first Zutara fiction, it's a little bit of the story I always imagined I'd write, cut and twisted into something a little more manageable since I have like a billion other stories I should be updating as I write this.

I just simply had to take time away from my other works to put together something Avatar related, and I think this and my other ATLA that I just posted have helped me to wipe the gross feeling The Last Airbender left me with a week ago.

Please let me know what you think of this, and I hope you'll all check out part two when I post it.

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Part One

Katara grabbed a glass of juice and some grapes on her way to the back porch. She glanced around seeing if there was anything out of place as she walked through the house. She smiled when she saw Momo asleep on the couch. She slide the porch door open, and stepped outside enjoying the beautiful weather and the warmth of the sun as it hit her.

As she plopped down excited to read the letter in her hands she kicked off her shoes and pulled her feet underneath her. Popping a grape in her mouth she unrolled the scroll and began.

_Katara, _

_Things are still crazy around her. I'm really grateful that my Uncle offered to step into his birthright; at least I don't have to be Firelord right away. I know we talk about this before but I had it reaffirmed today when I stepped back to look at how hectic is life feels right now, I'm sure it'd be even worse if I had that added responsibility._

_Mai is doing okay. You know I didn't even realize I hadn't mentioned her in the last few letters. I guess this is the part where I ask about Aang, as I have done the research and you last mentioned him four letters ago. _

_Also, how is Sokka doing you know I still can't believe he has a kid. Also I was curious as to when was the last time you talked to Toph? She hasn't replied to my last two letters. _

_I wish you had been here the other day; I snuck out after hours and roamed the town in a masked outfit. It made me think of the time we hunted down the guy who hurt your mom. Very ninja, though I was in serious need of a sidekick._

_Do you know I just realized it's been over six months since we last saw each other and even then it was only for a day! We need to make plans to get together, I'm thinking vacation! Let me know when you're free. _

_Zuko_

Katara smiled at the idea of a vacation, it was exactly what she needed. It was busy work being with Aang, they were never in one place too long, a week at the longest. She realized of course that this was how it had been before; she'd just never realized it would stay this way after they'd conquered evil and everyone knew the avatar was alive and well.

Katara scanned the letter again, frowning when she realized she hadn't written about Aang in a while, then she frowned harder wondering what she could possibly write about him now. They did the same thing all the time. In fact Katara had noticed more and more that she was getting left out of meetings and spending way more time waiting around for him.

She shrugged; such were the struggles when dating the Avatar; though in the back of her head she wondered if Aang purposefully kept their life hectic and sporadic.

"Katara?" she heard Aang's voice calling from inside, it was almost as if she'd summoned him with her thoughts.

"Out here," she called out, taking a sip of her drink and popping another grape in her mouth.

"Hey tonight we're having dinner with some of the town elders, and their wives," he announced as he stepped out onto the porch, "that okay?"

"Sure," she said smiling at him before poising her pen above the paper to write.

"What are you doing," Aang asked, as he leaned against the door frame watching her.

"Writing Zuko back," she said before glancing back up at him, "you haven't heard from Toph lately have you?"

She took another sip of her drink as she waited for him to answer, her eyes going to Momo who had just wandered out onto the porch before jumped up next to her and looking at her grapes. She rolled her eyes laughing a little before pulling five from the vine and handing them to him, "and that's all you get," she said firmly.

"You're writing him again?" Aang asked, and she heard a slight edge in his voice.

"Oh goodness, please tell me you're not starting this, and that we aren't going to have the same conversation _again_." She asked looking over at him again, already exhausted by the thought of this same back and forth.

"I just don't get it, you write to him more than you write to anyone else." He said exasperation in his tone.

"Yeah well that's because he's my best friend and I never see him. Writing is our only way to stay in touch, but you know this because I tell you this every time you ask me why I'm writing him." She said, putting her pen and the blank scroll down before standing up. "I'm going to go get ready for tonight."

"I thought you had a letter to write?" He asked her snidely.

"Oh I'm going to write it, now do you want me to go to this dinner or not?" She said walking inside without waiting for an answer.

She made it all the way to the bathroom and thought maybe he had decided to let it go only to be proven wrong.

"Katara, you think of him as more than a friend, that's way you write him so much, I wish you'd just admit it." He said leaning against the wall next to the door.

She sighed rolling her eyes, "I don't, so it's hard to admit to something that's not true."

"So explain to me why you have an entirely separate box of letters from Zuko." Aang asked seeming to think he'd caught her in some devious act.

"We write so much that it's easier to look stuff up and recall if it's all together in one box, and if you'd taken the time to ask in my other letter box everyone has their own section, Zuko's just got to be too many letters to fit in with everyone's." She said before starting a bath.

"Whatever," he grumbled before turning and walking away.

"Have you heard from Toph?" she shouted after him.

"No!" he shouted back over his shoulder. She heard the front door slam shut a few moments later.

Katara starred after him, why did he always start this same argument that would end with them not talking until they were forced to. So much time had passed and yet things didn't feel like they were the way they were supposed to be, almost seven whole years had gone by since the end of the war, and yet so much was still the same.

Katara wanted to settle down, think about marriage and kids. Have a house with a porch to eat grapes on that was all hers. She sighed, it didn't seem like Aang was ever going to be ready to change the pace of their life.

She turned off the tub, before standing and walking back outside. She sat down deciding to finish writing her letter.

_Zuko,_

_Your right, I haven't been writing about Aang, mostly because he and I have been arguing a lot lately, for a ton of stupid reasons. Before, or rather after our last spat I asked about Toph, he said he hadn't her from her. Thinking hard on it now, I haven't actually gotten a letter from her in months, and we haven't actually seen her in almost two years. _

_I feel like a horrible friend that I've only just realized this. With like so on the go, and the fact that she always only ever replied to letters after they'd piled up, I didn't notice. You don't think anything bad has happened to her do you? _

_I can't believe he had a kid either, I'm an Aunt... I only got to see my little nephew for three weeks, and that was months ago. Also, I do realize the last time we saw each other was at Sokka and Ty Lee's wedding. I still can't believe how perfect they are together. _

_Maybe we should start our vacation off with a trip to the North Pole to see them, then we can pick some place and stay there for an extended period of time, I need some normalcy for just a bit. _

_Time away from sitting around waiting for Aang all the time would be fantastic. Don't be surprised if one day I just randomly show up at your doorstep. I have been in serious need of a hug from my best friend. _

_Well I'm off I need to mail this and then get ready for some dinner that's happening tonight. Then tomorrow it's off to the desert for two whole weeks, not just one! Woo! _

_Katara_

* * *

Zuko put the letter down smiling at Katara's parting line. He wondered when Aang would figure out how tired she was of the constant traveling. She'd been doing it for almost eight years now, it was sure to grow old on anyone. He didn't like that they'd been arguing, if Aang was supposed to be the guy to make her happy, shouldn't she be happy?

Zuko stood and went out onto his balcony, his eyes sweeping over the view he had of the sun setting over the ocean. He had taken the role of the best friend when Katara had chosen to be with Aang. He'd never told her he loved her, hadn't been sure until she'd picked someone else.

She got his heart, and Aang's heart and none of the blame. He could she have realized there was another option when he'd never opened his mouth.

Zuko sighed, running his hands through his hair. It wasn't as though he could do anything about it now.

It was too late.

He felt bad lying to Katara, he and Mai hadn't broken up six months ago, after they'd gotten back from the wedding. She had realized he was a broken heart and being with him was only breaking hers. He hated that, hated that he'd hurt Mai, but thankfully she'd met someone else.

He hadn't told Katara because he didn't want her feeling sorry for him which was a sad excuse but on he excepted.

He turned around to head back inside and grab a snack before bed when he was suddenly looking at Katara. She looked Amazing, her hair pulled up in a high ponytail, a coral dress bringing out the golden in her skin.

Then, she was in his arms, hugging him tight. He hugged her back, renewing his memories of her hugs once again before pulling away. He always pulled back first.

"What are you doing here? I literally just finished reading your letter," he said and gestured toward he desk inside.

"It an incredibly long story..." she said shaking her head at the memory of it.

"Well I happen to enjoy incredibly long stories, and I have nowhere to be in the morning, so we've got all night." He said, allowing himself to grab her hand and walk them over to the couch.

He sat first, and Katara plopped down next to him. He smiled at how close she was, and enjoyed the fact that after all these years, they were still as comfortable as ever with each other.

"So let's begin this epic tale of yours," Zuko said, the curiously obvious even to him.

Katara sighed before reaching for her bag and pulling out two glasses and a bottle of their favorite drink she poured them each a glass before talking, "It all started so long ago really, Aang was always so jealous of our friendship, always trying to get me to stop writing you."

"He was?" Zuko asked, not having realized he was ever a real factor to Aang.

"Yeah, in the beginning he didn't say anything, but the last year he's gotten really persistent, and so we started arguing about it a lot. Every time a letter came from you he'd say something, and I'd try to clear things up, and the next time he'd say something and so went the vicious cycle.

Zuko didn't say anything he just waited for her to finish.

"So for the most part though it annoyed me, I knew he was wrong so I just let it go, until this last time.

* * *

_Katara walked into her room to finally get ready for the dinner tonight, she'd used up a lot of her extra time writing Zuko and running to have it mailed. So she was in a bit of a hurry, and if he'd been more careful about it she might now have caught him, but as it was always, he wasn't careful and she did catch him._

_There sat Aang with her box of letters from Zuko open, the letters spread out before him on the bed. _

"_What in the world are you doing?" Katara asked, shock the only emotion she could muster at the moment. _

"_I had to know if you two had something going on, had to know if it was more than you were saying..." Aang said trying to defend himself._

"_and have you found your proof?" Katara asked her arms crossed, her blood boiling through her voice was cold and steady. _

"_Well no..." _

"_Exactly!" Katrara shouted, "Because we're just friends, like I've been telling you all along, but after this I don't think I'm going to waste my breath ever again." _

"_What does that mean?" Aang asked, but Katara was already in her closet grabbing her travel case, and placing clothes inside. She grabbed all of her sun dresses and stuffed them inside. _

"_What are you doing?" Aang asked, panic in his voice now. _

"_Leaving," was all she said as she walked back to the bed, and packed all of Zuko's letters back into the box and placed it with her bags as well. _

"_You can't just leave!" Aang said standing in the doorway._

"_I can, and I am." Katara_ _said, pushing her way passed him. _

* * *

Katara finished her story, and realized she wasn't going back. Aang didn't trust her, and she honestly didn't think he'd trusted her in a long time. She sighed, wondering what was next for her, did she go to the Northern Water Tribe and settle down, she frowned because that didn't seem like it was where she was supposed to be.

She'd been planning to settle down with Aang, that was always how she saw things happening in her head and it hadn't really matter where. Now she had to accept that she was going to have to find someone else if she wanted to get married and have kids. The last seven years had been for nothing.

She sighed, not wanting to think to hard about it. She looked over at Zuko and he seemed deep in thought about what she'd just told him. "So where's Mai?" she asked. She looked around, she'd expected her to be here with him, it was getting late.

He looked up at her, a frown on his lips and she wondered what was wrong.

"Mai..." he paused, seeming to wonder how to continue. "Mai, broke up with me a while ago, I just didn't know how to tell you."

Katara gasped as she realized this, "I'm sorry..." she said trailing off not sure what else to say.

She sat in silence for a minute thinking about what exactly this meant. Honestly, she hadn't been lying when she'd told Aang her and Zuko were just friends. In fact she'd only ever thought of him that way, as a friend, until Aang had started telling her she felt differently.

After he'd first accused her of having feelings for Zuko she'd thought long and hard about what it would be like to be with Zuko. They would have a great relationship, they understood each other perfectly. She would get to settle down like she wanted, she would be happy, and she had a feeling he was probably great in bed, but she'd never let herself think much about it after that first time.

Zuko was with Mai, and Katara would never consider coming between them. Besides until Aang had started making things unpleasant, she had actually been happy with him for the most part.

Now he wasn't with Mai, and she wasn't with Aang, and she now had to wonder if this meant they were supposed to try and be together. If everything had fallen apart to they could put themselves together. She looked up at him, her mind still wandering, just because Mai had broken up with him didn't mean he wanted to be with her.

"Why'd she end things?" Katara asked curiously, taking a small sip of her drink as she waited for him to reply.

He set his drink down, and she noticed he'd barely had any of his. She set hers down too, hating to be the only one drinking. He was staring at his hands, and she wondered if it was bad.

Then he sat back, and took a deep breath, and said "she knew I wasn't in love with her. I would have stayed with her anyway and tried to make her happy, but she was stronger than me. She ended things and told me she appreciated that I was willing to try but that she deserved to have someone's whole heart and that I wouldn't ever be able to give that to her."

He paused, and they both sat in silence. Katara understood him falling out of love with Mai, thinking back on it now she'd fallen out of love with Aang maybe three years ago, but she'd written it off as simply being the way love changes with time. She was lost in thought about love and falling in and out of it when he spoke again.

"She knew I was in love with you." He said, his eyes on hers, waiting for her to reply.

She looked at him wondering if he was joking or serious or drunk. She looked at his glass again and saw he'd probably only taken a sip of it; she then glanced around to see if maybe he'd been drinking before she got there.

"What are you looking for?" he asked, his voice nervous.

"Are you drunk?" She asked.

"What?" he asked, exasperated. "No, of course not," he stood then and she jumped up too. "Look I'm sorry I sprang that on you, it was inappropriate and poorly timed. I wasn't thinking."

They just stood there for a moment, looking at each other and Katara tried to think of any reasons why she shouldn't just go for it.

Sokka wasn't a problem; he and Zuko were great friends. Her dad would be fine, he respected Zuko. Toph if she could ever get in touch with her would love it, she used to always joke that they were meant for each other.

The only person who would have a problem was Aang. He would think she'd been planning to run away with Zuko all along, he'd hate it, but she wondered if that was a good enough reason not to try to be happy. The more she thought about it, she could see herself with him; see herself getting married to Zuko. They were best friends and she had a feeling that wouldn't be lost if they became more than that.

He seemed to realize she was processing everything because he hadn't moved. He stood there studying her face as things registered.

"Okay," she said stepping forward.

"Okay what?" he asked, not moving, waiting.

"Okay, so I lets be together," she told him, her hands coming up to rest around his neck as she pressed her body up against his.

He didn't move, he seemed to be in shock, and she wanted to laugh but instead she leaned up on the balls of her feet so her lips lightly brushed his lips, "that's your queue to drag me off to your bed and have your way with me."

Part1/End

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AN: So this will be a two-shot, this first chapter is going to be posted as T so it can be read by the masses, and in a week or two when I update I'll change it to M and post the lemon, and the rest of the story.

Love me some Zutara! :]] It was weird writing that she'd been with Aang for so long, but I figured I could deal since I was going to have her end up with her one true love anyway. I can't wait for you all to read part two.


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